Dawn Staley, South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball — Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

UVA Legend Dawn Staley Wins Second NCAA Championship as Head Coach at South Carolina

Staley coached the Gamecocks to their second national title on Sunday night

Author:
Matt Newton
Publish date:
Apr 4, 2022 9:17 AM EDT

In May 2008, Dawn Staley inherited a South Carolina women's basketball program that had never been to the Final Four. 14 seasons later, Staley has built the Gamecocks into a national powerhouse in women's basketball.

South Carolina was the No. 1 team in the country from the beginning of the season to the end, as the Gamecocks made their fourth Final Four appearance in the last eight seasons and won their second National Championship under Dawn Staley, defeating Geno Auriemma's 11-time national champion UConn Huskies 64-49 in the title game on Sunday night in Minneapolis.

Staley's Gamecocks were unquestionably the most dominant team in the country in this season, going 35-2. Their only losses came by a combined three points. South Carolina won five of its six NCAA Tournament games by double-digits, including a 72-59 win over No. 1 seed Louisville in the semifinals.

This was also a redemption story for the Gamecocks, who narrowly missed a trip to the championship game last season in a heartbreaking loss to eventual national champion Stanford in the semifinals. Aliyah Boston grabbed an offensive rebound with barely any time left on the clock but her putback attempt rolled off the rim and the Cardinal escaped with a 66-65 win that ended South Carolina's season.

The Gamecocks also had more than a decent shot at winning the 2020 National Championship, as they would have entered the NCAA Tournament as SEC Champions with a 32-1 record, had the tournament not been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Two years of frustration and disappointment accumulated into a night of pure joy and elation for the Gamecocks on Sunday night in Minneapolis. Aliyah Boston, who swept all of the national player of the year awards this season, was also named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. She recorded an 11-point, 16-rebound double-double in the title game. Senior point guard Destanni Henderson capped off her career with her finest performance, leading all scorers with 26 points.

Dawn Staley's second national title as a head coach adds to an already legendary college basketball resume. As a player at the University of Virginia, Staley was twice named the Naismith Player of the Year and led the Cavaliers to two ACC Tournament Championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances, three Final Four appearances, and one appearance in the national title game.

As a head coach, Staley has amassed a record of 538-185, including a 366-105 record at South Carolina. She has built the Gamecocks into one of the best programs in all of college basketball. South Carolina just finished its 12th-straight winning season and has reached at least the Sweet Sixteen in each of the last eight NCAA Tournaments. Staley has led the Gamecocks to six SEC regular season titles and six SEC Tournament Championships. Under Staley, South Carolina made the Final Four in 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2022 and won the National Championship in 2017 and 2022. Staley has been named the SEC Coach of the Year five times and the Naismith Coach of the Year twice.

Congratulations to Virginia women's basketball legend Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks on winning the 2022 National Championship.

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